Southeast Alaska salmon contribute to a fishing industry worth $1 billion a year, are the most important subsistence species for Alaska Natives and other residents, and play a critical role in the ecosystem, providing a source of food for other animals, and fertilizing majestic spruce and hemlock forests.

Forest management can play a critical role in modifying salmon habitat by altering connections between waterways, flow rates, sediment transport, stream temperature, and the physical structure of streams. With significant Tongass timber harvest and road building over the past half-century, there is growing awareness and concern about the degrading effects of these industrial activities on salmon and other resources.